Tomato Soup with Basil Pesto (Printable)

A silky tomato soup elevated with a vibrant swirl of fresh basil pesto. Comfort in a bowl, ready in 45 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Soup

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 2.2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped or 2 cans (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
05 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
06 - 3 cups vegetable broth
07 - 1 teaspoon sugar
08 - 1 teaspoon salt
09 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
10 - ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

→ Basil Pesto

11 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
12 - ¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts
13 - 1 small garlic clove
14 - ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 - ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
16 - Pinch of salt

# Directions:

01 - Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth and add sugar, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
05 - While soup simmers, combine basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic clove, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, drizzle in extra virgin olive oil until smooth. Season with salt.
06 - Once soup is cooked, blend until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches with a countertop blender.
07 - Stir in heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Warm through but do not boil.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle each serving with a swirl of basil pesto and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The pesto adds a fresh, garlicky brightness that cuts through the richness of the cream beautifully.
  • It looks restaurant fancy but comes together in under an hour with mostly pantry staples.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld together.
02 -
  • Do not boil the soup after adding the cream or it can separate and look grainy instead of silky.
  • Blend the soup in batches if using a countertop blender, filling it only halfway to avoid hot soup exploding out the top.
  • Make the pesto fresh if possible, the color fades quickly and the flavor dulls after a day or two in the fridge.
03 -
  • Use an immersion blender instead of transferring hot soup to a blender, it saves time and dishes, plus there is no risk of spilling.
  • Make a double batch of pesto and freeze half in ice cube trays, then pop them into pasta, sandwiches, or another pot of soup later.
  • If your tomatoes are too acidic, add an extra half teaspoon of sugar instead of more salt to balance the flavor.
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